Lindsey Vonn: ‘I’m not just Tiger’s girlfriend … I have my own career and my own life’

ARDMORE, Pa. — It seems almost strange to say, but Lindsey Vonn has become a fixture on the PGA Tour. Since announcing her relationship with Tiger Woods back in March, the Olympic skier has been spotted at several events, including The Masters, The Players Championship, The Memorial and this week's U.S. Open.

Vonn has gone largely unbothered at the Merion Golf Club as she's followed Woods around the course. Bill Pennington of the New York Times, however, caught up with the 28-year-old to talk about what it's like to be involved with one of the most famous men in the world.

And if the relationship continues, you can be sure Woods is seen as "Lindsey's boyfriend" when the Winter Olympics roll around in 2014. She says she expects him to attend.

(In other words, Tiger better make sure to pack warm for a winter stay in Russia, just like Vonn has made sure to pack her Red Bull golf caps for her stays in the gallery this spring.)

“Some people seem to forget that I’m not just Tiger’s girlfriend," Vonn told the Times. “I’m actually a successful athlete. I’m Lindsey. I have my own career and my own life.”

Vonn said her recovery from ACL surgery is going well and that Woods has been helpful in dispensing advice for her comeback. She expects to be back on skis by September, which would be about a month ahead of schedule.

Here's a few more quotes from the piece:

• On their relationship: "I'm very happy, things are great."

• On whether she is committed to Woods: "“I’m at a golf tournament, aren’t I? When was I ever at golf tournaments before? I kind of like him; can you tell?”

• On how her life has changed: "Most things are very normal, but something like going out to dinner is next to impossible. Unless he wore a wig, I think he’d be recognized anywhere."

• On being in the tabloids: “I won’t lie, I picked up the occasional gossip magazine in the past because I thought that maybe 5 to 10 percent of it was true. Now I think it’s zero percent.”